Goodbye, AU
by dh1031
Summary: One shot, my own take on the ending for the season 8 episode “Doomsday”. Chloe gets a letter. Note; this is a stand alone story, in no way connected to the other stories I’ve written.


**Title:** Goodbye (One Shot, AU)

**Summary: **One shot, my own take on the ending for the season 8 episode "Doomsday". Chloe gets a letter. Note; this is a stand alone story, in no way connected to the other stories I've written.

**Author:** dh1031

**Edited by:** ReporterGirl13 (thanks a million!)

**Pairings:** Clark and Chloe (sort of)

**Rating:** PG-13 (basically nothing more than what's appeared on Smallville will be depicted here). Moderators, please let me know if there is anything here than merits this story being moved, and feel free to make any changes you deem necessary.

**Spoilers: **None I'm aware of, only if you have not seen the season 8 episode, "Doomsday".

Chloe rested quietly as she contemplated how much things had changed in just a short amount of time. The charade of caring for Davis to prevent Doomsday, the beast within him, from killing Clark was finally at an end.

However, despite the fact that Davis had been separated from the monster, his reaction to her false profession of love had been worse than she imagined. So much worse that Jimmy paid the final recompense for Davis' rage and still managed to save her in the process.

While Chloe realized long ago her marriage to Jimmy had been a farce orchestrated on the part of Brainiac to instigate Doomsday's actions, she was still stricken with grief over the loss of her friend.

A friend that knew her well enough to have set up this place for her, a beacon she could look to when everything else was going awry in her life. As she considered all this another thought weighed heavily on her mind, why had her best friend not been to see her since Jimmy's death?

Chloe knew Clark had a penchant for carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and could, quite literally, blame himself for everything wrong that happened in the world. Yet she knew he had been at Jimmy's funeral, although she did not see him she felt him and now, more than ever she wished for his presence.

At that moment Clark stood just outside the entrance to the main room of the watchtower. Through the open door he could see the blood stain that remained on the floor, a permanent reminder of where Jimmy died.

Yet again someone had paid the price for what he was…his alien heritage, and the choices he had made. Slowly, he retrieved an envelope from his overcoat that was addressed to Chloe. He considered going in to speak to Chloe; try to apologize for the loss she'd suffered.

However, Clark decided that he'd put all he could think to say in the letter to her, and that speaking to her would only make what had to be done harder than it already was.

Chloe Sullivan had been Clark's constant companion for years, to say she was his best friend would be selling her way too short. They had been more than friends for a long time, they were family.

However, in Clark's eyes, family members didn't continually go around hurting the ones they loved; and he'd seen Chloe hurt more times than he wished to admit…all through the course of helping him. No, as much as he wanted to go to her, to hold her again and offer her comfort in her time of grief, he knew the dye had already been cast.

Resigned to carry out the reason he'd traveled to the watchtower, Clark sped into the main room, left the letter on the table beside where she was sitting; placing it under her cell phone, and sped out to his final destination.

Hearing the familiar "whoosh" that accompanied Clark's entrances, Chloe turned expecting to see her friend standing before her. Instead, all she saw was an envelope with her name handwritten on it.

Although she recognized the handwriting on the envelope immediately, she frowned in confusion as to why Clark had simply not stopped by to speak to her. Still, she'd learned long ago that Clark had his own "Clark Kent" way of doing things. She opened the envelope to read the letter within it.

"_Dear Chloe,_

_I know it sounds cliché to say but as I cannot find any other words, let me just say I'm sorry. You must have a lot of questions right now and I don't imagine I'd have all the answers._

_I'm writing this as a cleansing measure of sorts, letting it all out if you will. I don't know what this letter will accomplish in the end; maybe nothing – maybe everything._

_You probably already know this but I'm writing this letter to say what I fear I'd fail to say if I were there with you right now; that I love you. Over the years since we met, spent time together, and became closer through the experiences we've shared it's finally hit me that I've fallen completely in love with you. I've thought about you nearly all day and night, unable to get you off of my mind._

_However, given recent events I knew that this wasn't right…to be feeling this way about you. I didn't want this to be the time that I realized it; being in love with you caused pain._

_I had to mask my true feelings from you because I knew deep down that if I let you know how I felt, I'd end up losing your friendship. Especially with the way you seemed to act around Jimmy and then Davis, I decided you didn't feel the same way about me. _

_I still remember your reaction when you let me read the letter you'd wrote me back in high school. Back then I put on a face that said I was okay with the fact that you were moving on with your life, and ever since I've kept up that same demeanor. Yet, I've always known, deep down, that I was kidding myself._

_I prayed to God every night that the way I felt about you would change back to that familiar friendship. And every morning when I awoke I found the warmth I felt for you had failed to subside._

_It's because of you that I've been able to accomplish things that I never would have been able to, and I love you for that. Your influence fueled a determination in me to make decisions that needed to be made. Chloe, you've always been the person who has believed in me, even when I failed to believe in myself, and I cannot thank you enough for it._

_Still, the voice in the back of my head kept shouting "she's moved on!" I thought that maybe if I focused solely on that, Brainiac, and Doomsday that I would get over you. Then, as often the case, just the reverse happened, and with everything that's taken place I know I could never even be a speck on your radar._

_Even now, as I write this, I feel my emotions threatening to overtake me at the thought of you. Although now that feeling quickly changes to pain when I realize what you've been through, and the reality hits me that you cannot be there anymore._

_You'd think I'd be adjusted to the trials of the matter of the heart with everything I went through trying to forge a relationship with Lana. However, since I'm being honest here, I can tell you that I find this is the first occasion where I've felt the ebb and flow of love. This is more painful than I thought it would be but I'm going to move past it because I know it's what has to be done._

_See, I've always tried to mask the fact that I was an alien, I've done all I can to blend in to human society, and was raised as such. I was also raised to believe that my Kryptonian heritage was the biggest threat posed to succeeding in life. _

_However, after seeing all the pain you've endured I know that was a mistake. My emotions, my human side, and my feelings are my greatest threats. Just look what they've caused in this last year, let alone since I arrived._

_To that end, this is what we must face…Clark Kent is dead. This is the only sure fire way I know to ensure I'll never hurt you again. Maybe this is the path that will allow me to become the hero you've always wanted me to be, to be the hero this world needs. Perhaps this will change one day and I'll have the opportunity to fly back to you, but for now this is what has to be done._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_."


End file.
